Spoiler alert: my images are enormous and I don't know how to make them smaller.
Classy in Cameo Designer: x_suicide_is_inevitable_x Model: Ella Description: Ella has a date this afternoon, and they've decided to take a walk through the local park. She's dressed in pink, like the blooming cherry trees they'll see, and white to represent the newness brought about by Spring. She's also brought a book to read while she waits, but it's one she has read before and really likes - a copy of A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - so she can use it as a conversation starter. She's planned everything down to the number of leaves in the bouquet of flowers she has for her date, hoping that it will be a perfect date.
This is probably the quickest dressing I've ever done for an avatar. Pink is one of my least favourite colours in that it's almost always used to represent femininity and emasculation, but it's such a lovely colour otherwise. (No shade of pink looks good on me, but it can look wonderful on others!) I knew from the start that I wanted to create a less "girly" outfit to show that pink does not have to mean feminine, so I knew exactly what keywords to use in the search box. It only took about two hours in all! =u=‚ (One alternate title could be "Making a Cameo", both in reference to the book and the colour 'cameo pink'. My second thought was "Wasn't Pretty in Pink the title of the pilot episode of BBC's Sherlock? Yeah, it was! Hmm..." )
Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 10:00 am
Title: An Evening Stroll
Designer: Alesaan
Model: Sarah
Description:
"List, the wind is from the south! And the orchard-bloom is falling Sweet as kisses on the mouth.
In the dreamy vale of beeches Fair and faint is woven mist, And the river's orient reaches Are the palest amethyst."
~Lucy Maud Montgomery, from the poem Spring Song
Alright, I'm going to pout.
I first read the thread that was linked in the announcement that the newest challenge was live. It said, as I remember and interpreted it, the essence of pink or celebration of pink. *groan* I hate pink. But lo and behold! That isn't quite true I realized. [It literally was an epiphany which I didn't know I was capable of, as melodramatic as that sounds.]
There is only one think pink that has ever swept me off my feet, continues to capture my imagination and leaves me longing for its beauty. I knew I HAD to recreate it.
I'm going to post it here with a description for all those curious, but it isn't my entry as much a I really regret it. {so the image in the spoiler is not my entry to be clear. just showing my design process and my original design that I am in love with but don't think qualifies alas since I had misinterpreted the prompt the first time I read it}
I went to college in DC and lived there eight years. As a Cali girl, it was quite different than anywhere I knew. For those who know the DC area, DC was blessed by Japan with cherry blossoms. Gorgeous heart-stopping achingly beautiful delicate little blooms that create these sweeping and ever dancing in the wind ball gowns among the stark government buildings and monuments of the city.
Seriously, google DC cherry blossoms. You won't be disappointed. For me now, this is my image of spring when I hear the word.
So the pink, and almost only pink I wanted in the scene was the beautiful blooms of a background I use for one of my favorite personal avi designs. As this is DC, and the nature of the blooms was a gift from Japan, I wanted to make a hybrid outfit celebrating both cultures.
While DC remains a city of suits for the most part with all the gov't and lawyers, it is a city with a rich street culture that I fell in love with. So I mixed it with some elements of Japanese garb with the obi and kimono sleeved jacket, and loved the results. It took me a long time to find an appealing balance and hybrid. I also snuck in a soft pink bra for those who didn't notice, so technically she is wearing pink in her outfit as well.
So I was THRILLED and even bought all the elements of the outfit to keep as an avi of mine.
Then I got to the official thread. It said "pink outfit" which was not clear to me in the other thread.
I had a total meltdown and morale dilemma. Stay true to a design that means so much personally and I'm proud of, and risk getting disqualified because her outfit is barely pink? Or do a whole new outfit that is pink in nature more so and is more like my elaborate personal avis I now know I am also being judged against (which is fair but surprising)? I put my laptop away in disgust last night and went to bed. I did warn everyone I was petty and pouted.
So for my actual entry.
I'm pretty certain the image is self explanatory in what scene I created with my model, her outfit and the background. This is a grand lady out for a springtime stroll in the evening (indicated by the lighting of the scene) whose outfit is as stunning as the bouquet of flowers that nature is surrounding her with.
I needed some elements to make it fresh and less typical, which I did by keeping her tattoos instead of wearing sleeves to cover them (a grand dame tattoo-sleeved up? I love it), by adding a dark green jeweled circlet instead of something more purple or pink, didn't hide her small ponytail so the little tuft is still visible among her ornate headdress though this would be the time I would have loved to use a ponytail extension, and gave her a non tiny dog (typically of royalty and gentry) to roam the sweetly scented paths with.
Finding a dog that didn't obscure her gown that I worked on forever to get the multitudes of layers right was difficult. The only ones that worked were tiny and cutesy and I deliberately did not want that type of dog in this photo shoot/scene.
It's also challenging to keep Sarah's tattoos since her arms must remain in that pose for them to be visible. I cant use any bare arm mod. And while I can always cover them with sleeves, long sleeved shirts and jackets, I adore her tats and like to see how I can incorporate them into a design if I can. And here they look almost like lace which makes this very street-chic element become delicate which I thought was cool.
I chose the poem to include because the color scheme is honey, with is a soft peony pink mixed with purple. So not only did it convey the right mood of the scene, but also conveyed the colors I invoked. And it said everything I wanted to say better than I could. Is that not why we quote the genius of others when our own words fall flat?
Lovely? I think so. Shows the crazy amount of time I spent trying all sorts of items on to design her gown and her headdress? Pretty sure. Meets the criteria of the challenge by being a "pink outfit?" Yes. Is the image a good indication of my design strengths (and probably weaknesses)? Yes. Am I pleased with the results? Definitely.
But darnit, I really love that other design of mine.
Description: What young girl doesn't dream of taking the stage and becoming a star? My inspiration for this outfit is Shirley Temple, since Danielle's hairstyle reminds me of a brunette version of those classic cute curls. I chose the pale bubblegum color scheme since it's a perfect fit for a young girl who wants to look pretty in pink.
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 4:14 am
Challenge 3: Pretty In Pink Designer Name: HCTotorro Model Name: Nicki Outfit Title: Hanami Description: Nicki is partaking in an avant-garde-esque photography project surrounding the many different seasons. She is embodying the edge of winter fading into spring, which tends to happen around this time in the end of March. "Snows start to fade away as flowers begin to bloom once again." She is simultaneously evoking a reference to hanami, which is the Japanese custom of flower viewing, usually with sakura/cherry trees, which also happens around this time of year, the end of March through May.
I wanted to accessorize her natural afro with some flowery accents as well as some accouterments that would vaguely symbolize that of a tree. The shimmery sheer portions of the dress are to show how winter is slowly dissipating. I also find it somewhat innocent and playful to be barefoot in snow xd The backshot of her was included as well to show how the afro was accessorized with a very poofy, uhh, poof? lol Which I thought helped simulate the sakura tree a bit more.
Originally, I wanted to go with a more obnoxiously bright pink outfit, since I saw that the entries before me also went with more subdued shades of pink. But the few outfits I tried ended up kind of horrendously loud and annoying to look at so I went with my original thought of the more pale pink shade.
Description: When I heard of the challenge, it felt like heaven since this theme is my forte. I just started randomly looking for pink items that suited my model, but when I took a second look of Chloe, I realized the she looked like Barbie, so I made this outfit that'll make you think she's Barbie. With that classic princess concept of Barbie that my model has going on, that arm mod that makes it look like she's flipping her hair, and that background that matches everything perfectly, Chloe can be the next Barbie.
Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 10:55 am
Title: Foreign Flair
Designer: Dante Dolly
Model: Melissa
Description: So taking into account last challenge's critique I knew I wanted to do something more feminine than my previous entries. My first instinct was to go with classy if the challenge permitted, but (even though this one does) when I saw the goal was pink I got inspired in another way entirely.
Candygloss is one of my three favorite schemes on all of Gaia. It can be difficult to work with because of the limited selection, so coupling other items must be done carefully, so I knew it would be a good additional challenge. So I knew this round would be the perfect chance to show off my love for Candygloss, my passion for niche styles, and Melissa's sweeter, prettier side.
As a result here we have Melissa in a harajuku inspired outfit. I started with the legs and worked my way around. The umbrella/parasol was a perfect accessory because it doesn't matter if it's rain or shine or nighttime, it's too cute not to show off! I tried out quite a few different outfit combinations but settled for something I thought was more balanced, so it's clear the theme is pink without drowning in it.
Face stickers are a popular look in harajuku so they were important to me. I didn't want to just slap on the default sticker item Gaia has premade so I actually combined two non-sticker items to create the appearance I was going for. Likewise, though much of the outfit looks simple it took a fair number of layers–14 in total.
For the final touch I knew I needed a background. I nearly slapped on a pink rainy background but then realized, "This outfit would be horrible for rain! And Melissa is too smiley to be caught in a storm." So I chose this Japanese district background instead so Melissa looks right at home with her style choices.
Description: I will be honest and say that pink is my least favorite color. I do however like flowers, pink ones included, and that is what inspired this outfit.
To me flowers and fairies just go together, so that is how I came up with madeline's look. I went for the bolder raspberry pink to complement her skin tone. The black accents I used flow well with her natural hair color, and the gold rounds it all out to make a complete look.
Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 6:59 pm
Simply Pink
Designer: AmberEmma
Model: Wanda
Description: Growing up, pink was never my favorite color but I do have to say that it's grown on me in the last few years. It's the perfect color for when you're feeling cute and with Wanda's bright and cheerful looks I had no problem incorporating pink into her. The bright tones of pink help bring out and enhance the natural cheerful aura that Wanda has. By the time I finished the outfit it felt as though this simple but cute style belonged on a magazine cover. So with one last item, the outfit was complete and in the end, I feel as though both Wanda and the outfit perfectly complement each other.
AmberEmma
Offline
elphiethesane
Dabbling Dreamer
Offline
Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 6:53 pm
Drapped in Dusk Designer: elphiethesane Model: Chantal Description: When I saw this challenge, I immediately decided I wanted to focus more on color scheme than on a particular theme or concept. I’m an artist, and I’ve spent a lot of time over the years improving my abilities to chose colors that look good together, so I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to try to show off those skills. I’m not sure if the final product actually does show those skills off much, but that was why I set off in the direction I did.
Originally I wanted to incorporate at least one of my model’s colors into the color scheme, and I settled on the crimson of her hair for several different reasons (which I’d go into in detail, but I think it would take far too much explaining). Once I made that decision, I thought my next challenge would be to come up with a color scheme that could have both pink and red and not look too “valentine’s day,” which I wanted to avoid as it seemed too obvious a move. After some experimentation, I landed on the idea of doing a color scheme inspired by sunset/dusk. I tried a few color combinations I liked under that concept, but struggled to find items that actually worked together. That was why I ultimately had to abandon including more red... The items just weren’t working together.
Despite having to abandon the red, and therefore one of the things that set me off on this path in the first place, I really like the end result. The colors look nice together, and I feel they’re nicely balanced so no one part of the outfit stands out too much. I did worry that it would be considered “too cluttered,” especially since I was criticized for that on a much simpler outfit, but I decided to go for it anyway. Besides the fact that I personally really like all the details on this one, every time I tried to simplify it ended up looking unbalanced, with either the colors not distributed well or the “weight” feeling off. I compared several different versions to be sure this was the best one! I think the fact that this is focused more on the color scheme itself, and the more deliberate nature of the clutter, make it work in the outfit’s favor.
Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 6:53 pm
1. x_suicide_is_inevitable_x (Ella) Positive: The judges described this as adorable, a stand-out, lovely, sweet, down-to-earth and pleasant. Well done. Negative: The only issue comes with the bow at the top of the background. The blue matches her eyes well, but there's nothing to even it out anywhere else in the garment. One judge even called to mind 'Cafe Rosa' - a recolour that could have avoided the blue altogether.
2. milk cap (Sheenah) Positive: You've been listening to critiques and have demonstrated as much. The judges liked your creativity with the motif. If I had an award for 'most improved', you'd get it, girlie! Negative: Sheenah has expressive eyes that would have done well to be shown. What could have been covered was her hair as it sticks out like a sore thumb. You could have used a veil to mask it, as well as her face or used orange in other parts of the design to balance it out.
3. Kiari_Luveniar (Madeline) Positive: It's refreshing to see a deeper pink thrown in the submission pile! The colour matching was done pretty well and Madeline looks beautiful. Kiari, you don't fail to deliver. Negative: This doesn't read 'fairy'. Fairies are subtle, light, airy, thin, small creatures and your model looks about 200lbs here. An 'angel' or 'celestial messenger' might have been a better way to go with the description - an elaborated description.
4. Princess of the Raindrops (Mariah) Positive: NA Negative: NA
5. Tink_Bel (Helen) Positive: You are the queen of colour matching and you are in tune with shades that match your model's features. Negative: Perhaps the introduction of an additional colour to help break up the pink, or take off a couple of items. With that many items in the same colour, it makes her look quite cluttered.
6. iiiFlames (Chloe) Positive: Your design is very pretty and regal. The background choice with the mirror was an absolute highlight to the overall image. Negative: The image didn't convey 'Barbie' very well at all. There are so many barbies out there, you could have given us a throwback barbie, a controversial barbie or invented something entirely new! This was a very 'safe' Barbie with a thick shawl to make Chloe look about 25lbs heavier.
7. elphiethesane (Chantal) Positive: The dusk colour scheme was a welcome change for the judges. It's awesome how you included the colour of Chantal's lips into the design as it's obviously the hardest part of her to design for. Negative: The colour scheme, although brilliant, didn't feature pink as much as the judges would have liked. The overall image is wonderful, but a little more pink could have gone a long way.
8. HCTotorro (Nicki) Positive: Wowow! You stepped it right the hell up with this design, Totorro! The look itself is ethereal and elegant, perhaps even whimsical. The colours match great and look beautiful against her darker skin. The description also went along perfectly. Negative: One small nitpick would be the glowing balls that appear under Nicki's chin. Glowy items tend to soften everything around them and because of that, Nicki's chin is a bit fuzzy and it takes away from her pretty face.
10. AmberEmma (Wanda) Positive: The colours are appealing on your model, and the items used give a very chill kind of vibe from her. Good use on the magazine style border, making Wanda just like 'one of us'. Negative: The colour matching is a bit off on the skirt. It's very purple-looking next to the rest of the pink shades. Adding purple elsewhere or changing the skirt colour would have helped a lot.
11. Alesaan (Sarah) Positive: The shade of pink used got a big thumbs up from the panel. It looks beautiful, especially when composed with the darker colours of the background. Negative: The colour looks so nice against the background, but we can barely see it because Lassie is in the way! It diverts attention away from what really matters because it's an eyesore. (And just so you know, Alesaan, I would have submitted your second look instead. It's beautiful and you made Sarah absolutely stunning in it.)
12. Ultrabord (Danielle) Positive: The colour scheme is cute and it's a simple design, which is refreshing since 'clutter' seemed to be popular this round. Negative: That being said about the colour scheme, it may look better on a different model, but it tends to wash Danielle out. Also, focus a little more on your description. It doesn't have to be a novel, but it leaves lots to be desired.
14. SortaKindaMaybe (Amaya) Positive: NA Negative: NA
15. Dante Dolly (Melissa) Positive: Love! Negative: I would change the teddybear headband to a simple, straight colour. I know bulky is the thing, but that one piece makes it just a little too cluttered for my tastes. However, one judge said you could have added even more.
Citrine Designer: Tink_Bel Model: Helen Description: I was actually very excited to see the theme for this challenge. I collect crystals for their healing properties and have a very nice citrine sample in my collection. I also have many people who are close to me that share the birth month of November; including my boyfriend, father, grandfather, aunt, and cousin. Citrine is yellow and gold in color with a hexagonal cyrstal system. It's luster is vitreous and it's part of the quartz family. The name comes from the French word "citron", which means lemon; which makes sense with it's bright yellow-brown color. Citrine has a bright energy that emanates positivity and joy. It is most effective in increasing creative energy. It is associated with the root, sacral, and solar plexus chakras; I tried to show this with emphasis on those areas of the body. Citrine is one of the few "self-cleansing crystals" capable of maintaining its own energy field. I attempted to convey not only the physical properties of this crystal, but also it's healing and energy properties.
Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 11:57 pm
Origins Designer: Alesaan Model: Sarah Description: Charon stayed ashore, as the lady knew her way.
Note: I should probably let people know who don't know myths as well as I do that garnet originates in the Latin word for pomegranate. And I think most know the story of a specific Greek/Roman goddess with a pomegranate... Hence the title, image and description. I didn't want to go the traditional "gemstone" route if I could help it, but it still clearly HAD to be centered around the gemstone and viola. Plus even if someone had no idea what I was recreating, the garnet color was clearly visible in her gorgeous gown (and echoed in the very atmospheric background) and thus rather evocative (or so I think). And I have had Summerlong by Peter Beagle stuck on my brain ever since I read it (I highly recommend it)
Designer: milk cap Model: Sheenah Description: Ah, aquamarine. When I think of aquamarine, I think of the pale-blue variety, rather than the bright-blue everyone is familiar is. Instead of the ocean, I associate it with ice, its cool gleam bringing to mind the frigid air that emanates from a chunk of ice. Aquamarine is also associated with mermaids, so I decided upon merging the two and transforming Sheenah into an ice mermaid.
Playing around with the blue items running amok on Gaia, I looked up aquamarine and its connotations, coming across a bit of information that the gem was believed to be the treasure of mermaids. I instantly darted to the mermaid tails, looking for the perfect one, and what do you know, a tail that shone so whimsically! Of course, mermaids wear barely anything, but as this is a fashion contest I knew that I must dress her. I clothed her with a light, frilly bustier, not too many frills, and layered it with a collar and a pink corset, to sort of match the iridescent/pinkness of the tail. Her arms are bare, save for a bracelet, because otherwise, the outfit would be heavy; plus, it appears as though she's braving the cold, and aquamarine is a stone of courage! I wished I could have found the perfect black choker to offset the pale scheme or something of similarity, alas, I settled for a gold one. I feel the head needed no accessories, and the bright orange hair against the pastels looks appealing to me in a way. Finally, the background is of a misty lake in the winter, with some additional snow flying about.
Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2018 10:31 am
heartIt's Okay, I'm Hereheart Designer: iiiFlames Model: Chloe Description:I'm upset because I wasn't the one who got August, which is my birthmonth, but that's okay, it's hard to find items in its color anyways. And also, why did Slytherin gave me a pink outfit assignment again? This is another challenge within my forte, so I did my usual, I start off searching keywords and picking up items and see if it looks good or not, and later on, I started doing my outfit-making strategy; visualizing and execution. I visualized Chloe as a fairy, whose purpose is the same as my assigned birthstone Pink Tourmaline, and I did just that with the mood-lifting flowers Chloe is holding, and the wings matching my model's pose, and the birthstone background giving idea of the overall looks of my model. I'd definitely say my outfit shines better than the others. heart
heart Fact: The pink tourmaline birthstone is most associated with love and other matters of the heart, and is the purest of the heart chakra stones. It is a representative of the feminine or yin energies and is unsurpassed as a gemstone in healing old emotional wounds.
Designer: Ultrabord Model: Danielle Description: Peridot is a striking bright lime green color, so after coming up with two different possible designs, I chose to go with something bold and summery to fit with the month of August, especially since peridot is known as the "gem of the sun." However, peridot sparkles most brilliantly at night, hence the darker background within the bubbles. It is also thought to help alleviate feelings of anger and envy, which is reflected in the relaxed quality of the outfit design.
It was REALLY hard to find coordinating items that went with the birthstone theme in this particular color (I would have much preferred sapphire, which is the color I used to dress up Danielle during the auditions, but then again most models would look good in sapphire and it's harder to find someone who would look good in lime green.) The background with the bubbles, using one of my personal favorite background cutters, reflects the memories made during the summer, while the gemstone crop top and sparkles bring out the quality of the gem itself. It took several tries to find the right accessories and other matching items to complete the look, but I finally felt mostly satisfied with the outfit despite the fact that it was difficult to find enough good items in toxic green that fit the style I wanted. Last time, I was unable to spend enough time on the challenge, so I took more time despite the fact that I only have limited access to the internet (which is why MY LAST ENTRY SUCKED.)
